It is so difficult to humble myself to this knowledge. Control is a difficult thing to give up, yet I know I never had it to begin with. Just like the days get shorter as we move toward winter, so do the days shorten as I move to the end of my journey. Time seems so precious now, not to be wasted on triviality. There is still so much to do, and so little time left in which to do it.

Here in Maui my work seems easier. No bills to pay, no grocery shopping — I can spend hours with Ram Dass, doing asana, meditating, reading spiritual material — the only obligation I have is to myself. But as I write this, I am remembering it is always that way. It is my thinking mind that tells me putting the needs of others before my own is what I am supposed to do. This really is the ultimate distraction — putting the needs of others before our own. It is like multi-tasking: everything gets done half-assed, instead of doing just one thing at a time, and doing it well.

The work we do on ourselves is why we are here. How do we lose track of that? All this other stuff, these jobs, these tasks are just illusions. Love really is the only thing that matters. And it’s all we need. Really.